VOA标准英语2009年-Officials Counting Results of Mozambican V

By Scott Bobb
Maputo
29 October 2009

 
A municipal employee, flanked by other workers, signs a documents during the fourth Mozambican general elections in Maputo, 28 Oct 2009
Election officials in Mozambique are tabulating¹ the votes from Wednesday's national elections. They say preliminary indications are that voter turnout was high.

The head of the National Electoral Commission's technical unit, Felisberto Naife, says most of the country's polling stations had finished counting their ballots² and no major incidents had been reported on election day.

He says the process was normal, peaceful and orderly. Many people voted and therefore he is certain that turnout will be higher than it was five years ago when it reached only 36 percent.

He says the results are being sent to district centers and provisional results should be released beginning next week.

An official of the observer mission of the Southern African Development Community, Kasuka Mutukwa, said preliminary observations of the balloting³ were positive.

"It has been very peaceful," he said. "People stood in long queues, including young people. So we are waiting for the figures of what the turn-out is but certainly it was quite impressive what we saw preliminarily."
 
The head of the European Union observer team, Fiona Hall, said her group noted⁴ some technical difficulties, such as missing voting materials, but action was usually being taken to solve the problem.

"There was a good level of scrutiny⁵ of the process," said Hall. "Ninety-five percent of the polling stations that we observed had some party officials present and 80 percent of them had some domestic observers to scrutinize⁶ the process."

President Armando Guebuza is running for a second five-year term and his Frelimo party is expected to win a majority of the 250 seats in parliament.

Veteran opposition⁷ leader Afonso Dhlakama is running for the fourth time. His Renamo party is being challenged for the leadership of the opposition by a new party.

The Mozambique Democratic Movement was founded by the mayor of Beira, Daviz Simango, after he was expelled from Renamo last year.

These are the fourth national elections since Frelimo and Renamo ended a bitter civil war in 1992. One million people died in the 16-year conflict and millions more were displaced.

Professor Gil Lauriciano of Maputo's Institute for International Relations says Mozambican democracy still bears the scars of the war.

"It is fragile, fragile in a way," he said. "It is a first experience. It is going to take a little while. Our rhetoric⁸ is still more like, military."

He says the political system is still evolving. And it will take time for the polarization to ease and for people to understand that they can disagree in a civil manner.  

1 tabulating   

把（数字、事实）列成表( tabulate的现在分词 )； 制表

参考例句：

• The Census Office did not finish tabulating the results until 1888. 直到1888年，人口普查办公室才完成统计数字表格。
• By 1890 a revolutionary electrical tabulating system was available. 到了1890年，一种具有革命意义的电动制表装置投入使用。

2 ballots   

n.投票表决( ballot的名词复数 )；选举；选票；投票总数v.（使）投票表决( ballot的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• They're counting the ballots. 他们正在计算选票。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The news of rigged ballots has rubbed off much of the shine of their election victory. 他们操纵选票的消息使他们在选举中获得的胜利大为减色。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 balloting   

v.（使）投票表决( ballot的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Clark took a commanding leading in the early balloting. 在最初投票时，克拉克遥遥领先。 来自辞典例句
• The balloting had stagnated, he couldn't win. 投票工作陷于停顿，他不能得胜。 来自辞典例句

4 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

5 scrutiny   

n.详细检查，仔细观察

参考例句：

• His work looks all right,but it will not bear scrutiny.他的工作似乎很好，但是经不起仔细检查。
• Few wives in their forties can weather such a scrutiny.很少年过四十的妻子经得起这么仔细的观察。

6 scrutinize   

n.详细检查，细读

参考例句：

• Her purpose was to scrutinize his features to see if he was an honest man.她的目的是通过仔细观察他的相貌以判断他是否诚实。
• She leaned forward to scrutinize their faces.她探身向前，端详他们的面容。

7 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

8 rhetoric   

n.修辞学，浮夸之言语

参考例句：

• Do you know something about rhetoric?你懂点修辞学吗？
• Behind all the rhetoric,his relations with the army are dangerously poised.在冠冕堂皇的言辞背后，他和军队的关系岌岌可危。